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Kimberly Green, who was sexually assaulted for seven years, shared her story at a youth driven forum in Newark to help others find the strength to speak up and tell their truth.

Kimberly Green wasn't sure if she would share her story this month.

It had taken her seven years to tell someone the first time.

That was May 25, 2017, when Green, then 17, confided in her teacher at East Orange High School Campus that she had been sexually assaulted. He was the adult son of a pastor, who was her foster-care parent in East Orange.

Green decided to talk about it again on April 14 during a youth-driven forum in Newark that addressed sexual harassment and assault.

"You don't know who you can touch by telling your story,'' Green said. "You don't know what somebody is going through. I feel people need to know what happened. It makes a difference."

Green was in a safe space to open up. She knew about My Thoughts Out Loud, the program for young people to discuss issues that affect their lives. They do it twice a month at the Help Us Become Better (HUBB) Community Empowerment Center.

MORE: Recent Barry Carter columns  

Al-Tariq Best, founder of the FP Youth Outcry Foundation, which operates the HUBB, said all are welcome. No one is turned away.

No one is allowed to judge, either, because young people are dealing with serious pain. It's all about transparency and support when they walk through the HUBB doors on Prince Street in Newark.

Green knew that, too. When she was comfortable, Green calmed her nerves, stepped away from her fear and walked into her truth.

She said the abuse started when she was 9. Telling a social worker wasn't an option. At that age, Green said, she believed reporting the incident would result in a separation from her brother and sister.

They had to stay together, she thought. No matter what. No matter what she endured.

"By any means necessary," Green said. "Don't separate."

It's one of the last things her mother told her before she died of congestive heart failure.

"That always plays in my head," Green said. " 'Don't separate.' "

She kept the promise for seven years, suffering in silence each time she was assaulted.

"It was constantly," she said.

Until she couldn't take it any longer. The final time it happened was on May 24 of last year.

Green told a teacher at East Orange Campus High School. She filed a police report in East Orange and went to the hospital, but, she said, the man was not charged after an investigation.

The room was quiet until Tiffany Brown, 43, of Rochester, New York, turned toward Green.

"I commend you for speaking your truth," Brown said.

She was one of the older adults in the room and is familiar with Green's ordeal. Brown, a former Newark resident who was in town visiting family, said she was molested as a toddler by a babysitter. Relatives sexually assaulted her, too, as well as her mother's boyfriend, when she was 11.

"I felt like I was doing something wrong, that I was inviting this," Brown said.

Like Green, Brown stayed quiet. She hid the pain for three years until she told a teacher.

"I had enough," Brown said. "It left a lot of scars."

Janita Davis, 25, of Irvington, is still dealing with hers. To this day, she doesn't wear shorts above the knee or clothing that may cling to her body. When she was 8 years old, Davis said, she had already developed breasts and a man touched her.

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"I didn't ask for that," she said tearfully. "I never put it on display that I wanted it, because of how I looked and what I wore."

Denisah Lennon-Williamson, chief operating officer of FP Youth Outcry, rarely talks about her past. She did on that Saturday when a young man in the room said that young ladies have to be mindful of  what men think when they see women scantily dressed.

Lennon-Williamson, 39, used her own life to illustrate why society shouldn't judge or condemn. As a 15-year-old girl, she dressed that way, but Lennon-Williamson said, "I was already damaged, and didn't know it."

Cousins touched her at night as she slept. A mentally disabled brother did, too, thinking it was OK. Guys in the neighborhood told her she was pretty. One of them invited her to his house, where he and his friends gang-raped her.

"When I see a 15-year-old girl posting pictures (on Facebook), I can't judge her," Lennon-Williamson said. "It doesn't mean because I'm making mistakes that you have the right to mistreat me."

Let's take a deep breath for a moment.

Green, now 18, lives on her own and is in a better place. She works part time at Staples and is enrolled at the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown, where she majors in social work and minors in victim services.

When she can, Green volunteers at the AIDS Resource Foundation for Children and at the HUBB.

She's unabashed, strong-willed and determined. Her strength and poise touched Brown and everyone listening at the HUBB center.

"I'm just looking at her," Brown said. "She wasn't shy. It was like, wow.''

Green is standing in a new light and, at times when she meets people, with a new identity.

She began to hate and  disown her first name, Kimberly.

She prefers her middle name. It represents victory, and is a reflection of the new life and new day she has reclaimed.

It is ... Joy.

Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or 

nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL

NJ.com breaks down the 28 high school events for the 2018 Penn Relays.

The top hitters and pitchers around the state for April 16-22.

Check out the second set of conference players of the week.

Here is a look at 25 players having a big impact at the Division I level for college baseball this week.

The acting director of New Jersey's court system told state senators the Judiciary is exploring the possibility

Twice, Kareem Dawson attacked his ex-girlfriend and found himself before a Superior Court judge in Newark. And twice, the same judge -- despite the pleas of prosecutors -- granted Dawson's release from jail pending trial.

After he was set free for the second time, Dawson in February fatally shot the woman, Tiffany Wilson, in Newark before leading responding officers on a pursuit that ended in Summit when he shot himself. Dawson later died from his injuries.

Wilson's killing sparked outrage from elected officials and community members, including advocates who say the state's pre-trial detention process does not effectively account for the risks faced by women and children in domestic violence situations.

Last June, another woman, Newark resident Anishalee Cortes, was also the victim of a murder-suicide by an ex-boyfriend in a similar case in Roselle. In that instance, Cortes' killer, Dominick Richards, had been arrested two months prior for assaulting her at gunpoint.

Like Dawson, a judge ordered Richards released pending trial, ruling that a review of his records found he had a low likelihood of failing to appear in court and, with no prior criminal history, was unlikely to commit more crimes.

Now, the state Judiciary is looking at whether prior domestic violence incidents like those involving Dawson and Richards could be specifically factored into the Public Safety Assessment, or PSA, that recommended the judges release them.

"Currently, the tool does not include an assessment of domestic violence," Judge Glenn Grant, the courts' acting administrative director, told the state Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee last week. "We are trying to explore with a consultant whether domestic violence can be added as an additional factor."

In the wake of criminal justice reforms that took effect in January 2017, cash bail has been all but abolished at the state level, replaced instead by a pre-trial risk assessment system that gives judges options ranging from releasing defendants pending trial -- with or without varying degrees of monitoring -- to ordering they remain jailed, subject to state limitations.

To make those decisions, judges rely heavily on the computer-generated PSA, which instantly references a defendant's prior convictions, newly alleged crime and seven other factors to rank on a scale of one to six both their likelihood of failing to appear in court and their likelihood of new criminal activity, as well as a flag for any risk of new violent criminal activity.

Prosecutors also use the PSA in determining when to seek detention.

Newark police guard the scene of Tiffany Wilson's fatal shooting on Scheerer Avenue in Newark on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018. Wilson's killer, Kareem Dawson (inset at right) later died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

But the current assessment, former state Attorney General Christopher Porrino said in a September 2017 memorandum, does not account for factors "that are widely recognized as predictors of domestic violence."

John Harrison, the criminal division manager for the Passaic Vicinage of state Superior Court, told NJ Advance Media that the PSA -- which draws from a number of state databases -- will generate a specific flag for new violent criminal activity if the defendant has at least one prior conviction in a domestic violence case, even if it's a disorderly persons offense rather than an indictable one.

Recent pending domestic violence charges without convictions -- like those Dawson had at the time of his second detention hearing -- won't trigger such a warning on their own, however.

Even if the PSA does not recommend detention, there's nothing to stop authorities from seeking it, as assistant prosecutors in Essex County did in the cases of both Richards and Dawson.

Seeking detention

Certain crimes, including murder, carry a legal expectation of pre-trial detention, which can be rebutted by the defense. Detention would also be recommended, under the state's current decisionmaking framework, for defendants who score a 6 for either a risk of failure to appear or of new criminal activity, and whose highest current charge is domestic violence-related.

To impose detention in most cases, however, the court is expected to determine that nothing but jail "would reasonably assure the defendant's appearance in court when required, the protection of the safety of any other person or the community, or that the defendant will not obstruct or attempt to obstruct the criminal justice process."

Superior Court Judge Peter Ryan ruled in both of Dawson's cases that prosecutors had failed to meet that rule's burden of "clear and convincing evidence." 

In the first instance, Dawson was charged with aggravated assault after he used his car to ram Wilson's -- with their children inside -- following an appearance in family court to finalize a restraining order against him.

Despite the severity of the alleged offenses, Dawson's lack of prior convictions resulted in a recommendation he be released, which Ryan granted with a requirement Dawson check in weekly with court staff and avoid contact with Wilson.

But in December, authorities said, Dawson attacked Wilson at their children's daycare in Maplewood. While he still had prior charges pending, the public safety assessment recommended he be released, this time at the even lower level of bi-monthly reporting -- again with a requirement of no contact with Wilson.

More information needed

Judges are not bound by the PSA's recommendations and can reject them with an official explanation, a legal finding Harrison said has been affirmed by appeals court decisions.

Still, domestic violence advocates say better tools are needed to inform the judges' decisions.

"We are strongly advocating that the courts implement a tool to assess domestic violence risk factors," said Nicole Morella, the public policy and communications director for the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence.

A supplementary tool, the Ontario Domestic Violence Risk Assessment, or ODARA, is being used by county prosecutors in conjunction with the PSA in determining whether to seek detention in domestic violence cases. The assessment, developed in Canada, asks 13 questions to identify whether there's a risk of repeated violence by the defendant against the same victim, including whether the defendant and the victim have at least one child together.

Although the state Attorney General's Office has directed prosecutors to use the ODARA tool, state officials have said its scores would not be able to be presented to judges in detention hearings without the passage of legislation similar to the criminal justice reforms that mandated the PSA.

Morella said her organization has advocated for assessments that would go even further to assess the potential lethality of specific domestic violence situations.

But while tools like ODARA are a step in the right direction, she said, risk assessments "are just one piece of the puzzle" and judges need consistent training in the risk factors that may not be reflected by those assessments.

At least in Essex County, authorities are taking a direct approach to that challenge. At the Veterans Courthouse in Newark, a single judge familiar with domestic violence matters now handles the detention hearings for all such cases in county under a pilot project between the county prosecutor's office and the state Public Defender's Office.

Cases like those of Wilson and Cortes existed prior to the state's criminal justice reforms. Prior to the current system, Harrison said, the only thing keeping some defendants behind bars for violent crimes were incredibly high bails, which nontheless were sometimes posted by family members.

"We're never going to say that the whole phenomena of criminal justice reform has been completed and you don't have to pay attention," Grant told senators last week. "This is an evidenced-based program, so one of the things we're looking to accomplish in 2018 is to use the experience from 2017 to see what happened with those defendants."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty.

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A nonprofit said Newark's lead concentration in drinking water exceeds federal action levels and the city isn't doing enough to comply with federal law.

Citing "dangerous" levels of lead in Newark's drinking water, an environmental nonprofit that sued Flint, Michigan over lead contamination is now threatening to sue New Jersey's largest city.

The group says about 20 percent of water samples taken from across Newark last year exceeded acceptable federal lead levels, raising serious health concerns over safe drinking water.

City officials have staunchly denied the claims, insisting that lead issues are limited to buildings with aging infrastructure. 

"These lead levels are shockingly high," said Sara Imperiale, an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) that filed a 60-day notice of intent to sue to the city and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection on Tuesday.

The Newark Education Workers Caucus, a group of Newark educators, also plans to join the suit. 

"Access to safe drinking water is maybe even more important in low-income communities of color where residents often face multiple sources of exposure and cumulative environmental burdens that can harm their health," she said. 

But Andrea Adebowale, Newark's director of water and sewer utilities, which is in charge of lead testing, said it was "absolutely and outrageously false" that residents were being exposed to dangerous levels of lead. 

"Our water is safe. It is our goal to be transparent and keep our residents informed every step of the way," Adebowale said in a statement. "Newark's water meets all federal and state standards ... this issue is confined to a limited number of homes with lead service lines."

Lead is measured in parts per billion; although no amount of lead in water is safe, lead concentration should not exceed the federal action level of 15 parts per billion.  

Last year, 10 percent of water samples showed lead in excess of 26 parts per billion, nearly double the federal action level. One address tested at 137 parts per billion, the group said. 

It's not the city's first lead scare.

In 2016, Newark's public schools announced it was shutting off all drinking fountains after finding elevated levels of lead in 30 schools. Last year, the district turned the drinking water back on after pipes were replaced and filters were installed. 

Failing to follow the rules

The NRDC said lead contamination was a citywide problem.

The group compared levels found in Newark to those in Flint, which caused a national uproar several years ago when water there was found to have lead levels among the highest recorded by a large water system in the country, the group said. (While some samples in Flint tested similarly to the levels the group cited in Newark, many of Flint's samples were reportedly found to be much higher. One sample even registered at 13,000 parts per billion). 

But Newark, the group claims, also violated federal sampling requirements which might further shroud the depth of the problem.

Large water systems that serve over 50,000 people, like Newark's, must collect at least 100 tap water samples and prioritize sites that are most at risk for lead contamination. 

Newark sampled lower-risk sites "likely masking the extent and the scope of the problem," Imperiale told NJ Advance Media. "That's a real concern."

While Newark lists 131 high-risk sites in its sampling pool, only 40 of those were sampled in the first six months last year, according to the notice of intent.

The DEP required semi-annual testing in Newark last year. Two letters from the DEP last July and this January found the city not in compliance with federal rules, including implementing corrosion treatment in the water, NRDC said. 

Corrosion treatment was supposed to be in place by 1997, but Imperiale said there's no evidence that the city ever met this requirement. The high lead levels in the water are likely coming from lead pipes that are also corroding and dissolving into the water, she said. 

When federal action levels are exceeded, the city must notify bill-paying customers to outline adverse health effects and offer recommendations. The NRDC said the city failed to notify at least 200 customers. 

Adebowale maintained the city was in compliance with all state and federal rules. She said city water was not contaminated with lead, but that the metal was introduced to the water system through lead service lines belonging to homes built before 1986.

"The service lines connecting the homes with the city water system are the responsibility of homeowners," Adebowale said. "The city has obtained funding from the state to enable affected homeowners to replace their lines."

The city is launching a lead service line replacement program this summer. 

The NRDC also sued Newark under the Open Public Records Law, claiming the city was slow to release information and illegally withholding records. 

Adebowale said any information the city did not provide was not in its possession. 

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

The 21-story building once headquartered the New Jersey Bell telephone company, (later Bell Atlantic and now Verizon). It will be converted into a mixed-use building.

Check out some of the former New Jersey T&F athletes succeeding in the NCAA.

It has only been a month since the tragic death of cast member Yann Arnaud, who fell to the stage during a new duo straps routine when the show was in Tampa.

NJ Advance Media has put together a list of the top girls lacrosse seniors. Vote for the No. 1 player at the bottom.

The police department is investigating the use of lights and a siren to escort a DJ to Mayor Ras Baraka's birthday party

A Newark police car that escorted Hot 97 DJ Funkmaster Flex when he drove from New York City to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka's birthday party broke policy when officers turned on the vehicle's siren and lights, officials said. 

Baraka's April 9 birthday celebration at the Prudential Center was a fundraising event hosted by his campaign, with tickets sold for $300 and $1,000, an invitation shows.

Flex was providing music for the party.

Police Lt. Ronald Glover told NJ Advance Media two officers were assigned to drive Flex to Newark "with the understanding that the city would be reimbursed" by Baraka's campaign.

While the $200 worth of the officers' time, gas and tolls were reimbursed, the officers' use of lights and the siren violated departmental policy, Glover said. The Office of Professional Standards is investigating the incident. 

A 12-second video posted on Facebook by Flex shows an unmarked police car with the siren and lights on escorting him through two red lights and into the Holland Tunnel. 

"On my way to Newark. The mayor knows how to treat you, baby," Flex is heard narrating over the video that appears shot from the driver's seat. 

One car can be seen getting out of the way as the police car and Flex head to the Holland Tunnel. 

Glover said the officers were supposed to drive Flex but escorted his car instead when Flex opted to drive his own car. 

Baraka's birthday celebration invitation.
 

When asked whether "celebrities" could be escorted by police cars using taxpayer dollars, Glover said the incident was under investigation. 

Attempts to reach Flex for comment were unsuccessful. 

Marjorie Harris, a spokeswoman for the city declined further comment, referring questions to the Public Safety Department.

A spokesperson for Baraka's campaign also declined to comment. Baraka is seeking re-election to a four-year term next month. 

The Port Authority is investigating a similar incident, where Rush Limbaugh was allegedly escorted from Newark airport to Manhattan to speak at the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation's 2018 Semper Fidelis Gala.

A source familiar with Port Authority protocols told NJ Advance Media that providing a police escort for a celebrity is improper.

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

Newark has released its proposal for Amazon's new HQ2 headquarters.

Newark's closest held secret is finally out.

The city released the bid it submitted for Amazon's new HQ2. Read the document below. (It is just over 200 pages.)

Want a full idea of how Newark pitched to Amazon? Check out this website titled, 'Yes, Newark'. The website, a sleek marketing tool, is designed to give Amazon representatives an idea of what it would be like to live and work in Newark.

Until today, New Jersey's politicians held its Amazon proposal close to the chest. The online retail giant had asked finalist cities to stay quiet while it contemplated where it would open its new headquarters.

Over the last four months, several residents and organizations in New Jersey --including New Jersey Policy Perspective and clients of a prominent law firm-- have filed records requests with the city to find about more about the bid. 

Every one of them was denied.

Steve Wronko, a New Jersey resident, sued Newark for access to the proposal. Newark had previously denied his record requests for not only the proposal, but also for any contracts the city held with third-party vendors who helped prepare the bid.

Today, Newark released the proposal to Wronko and his lawyer, CJ Griffin, an attorney at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden. The law firm first posted the proposal on its New Jersey OPRA blog. 

Boston, Philadelphia and Miami have also released their proposals to the public.

The Newark proposal details the state's transit system, its housing, and its focus on higher education.

But there's one big thing missing: The details about Newark's incentive package.

The city has offered Amazon a whopping $7 billion dollars in tax credits. But details of how that deal will work are unclear. The city redacted six pages that could explain. 

Newark proposed six locations for an Amazon HQ2 in two districts (Broad Street Station and Newark Penn Station). The locations include Washington Park Campus, Lotus Riverfront, Matrix Riverfront, Gateway Center, Mulberry Commons and RBH SoMa. 

Gov. Phil Murphy and Mayor Ras Baraka met with Amazon representatives earlier this month to discuss possible HQ2 locations. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and businessman and philanthropist Ray Chambers also attended the meetings.

When asked about the meeting during an event in Montclair, Murphy declined to say whether it happened or to provide any details.

"We're gonna respect the process they've (Amazon) laid out, so I'm not gonna speak to anything specific," Murphy told reporters. 

"We're a long way from the goal line. We're one of 20. But I love what Newark's putting forward," he said.

Despite the hype over the Newark offer, analysts have predicted the company will most likely land elsewhere. D.C. or Virginia are both likely picks given Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' relationship to the area. (He owns The Washington Post).

Erin Banco may be reached at ebanco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ErinBanco. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Staff reporters Karen Yi and Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

Shipments included about 25,500 aircraft parts to clients deemed as threats to the United States, according to federal authorities.

A New Jersey woman was arrested Wednesday for her alleged role in an international smuggling ring that shipped more than $2 million worth of aircraft parts from the United States to Iran, a violation of sanctions against the country, federal officials said.

Joyce Eliabachus faces charges of conspiracy to violate Iranian transactions and sanctions regulations, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to smuggle goods from the United States, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark. She was released on $100,000 unsecured bond with home confinement after a court hearing.

The 55-year-old Morristown resident served as principal officer and operator of Edsun Equipments LLC, an aviation parts trading business Eliabachus ran from her home, according to a criminal complaint. She is accused of working in a "sophisticated" network that covertly moved large amounts of plane components from U.S. companies to Iran through freight-forwarding businesses in United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

In a statement, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito said some of the parts went to an airline which provides various support to Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

The scheme involved at least 49 shipments of approximately 25,500 aircraft parts from the U.S. to Iran between May 2015 and October, according to the complaint. Those shipments were made without proper licenses.

Eliabachus worked with an Iranian procurement firm, which had clients that are designated as threats to U.S. national security, foreign policy or economic interests, according to prosecutors. After the Iranian Revolution, the U.S. has imposed sanctions banning various dealings with the county.

"This arrest will cut-off a key supplier to a proliferation network which illegally sold U.S. origin items to Iran," said Jonathan Carson, special agent in charge of the federal Commerce Department's Office of Export Enforcement in New York. "Violations such as these jeopardize national security and undermine U.S. foreign policy. We will continue to vigorously pursue violators wherever they may be."

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

One person was shot and killed and another wounded on April 25, 2018, in Newark, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

One person was shot and killed and another wounded Wednesday night in Newark, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Fennelly said his office is investigating the shooting which occurred on Bergen Street.

Fennelly said when police arrived on the scene they found one person dead and another having suffered gunshot wounds. Both of their names have not been released.

The investigation is still in its early stages and Fennelly said he could not release additional information as of Wednesday night.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Leisure time activities can range from archery to Zumba.

Merriam-Webster defines pastime as "something that amuses and serves to make time pass agreeably" and leisure time as "taking place during time not used for gainful employment."

We all have our favorite things to do when we have "down time." Some people garden, some people jog, others read. In my case, down time often consists of no activity whatsoever.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

Here, we've compiled a collection of pictures of people in New Jersey enjoying time away from work, school and chores. And, whether you have a predilection for physical activity or you enjoy a sedentary lifestyle, we think you'll find a photo or two that speaks to you.

And here are links to past galleries on games and pastimes.

Vintage photos of fun and games in N.J.

Vintage photos of games people played in N.J.

Vintage photos of N.J. games and pastimes

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

Fake account had the principal's picture on it, and about 100 kids followed it.

The Instagram account bore the name of Maplewood Middle School's Principal. And it had her picture. 

But the insensitive statements -- some of which insulted students' political beliefs -- led those who know Dara Crocker Gronau to realize it was a fake account.

"Some people noticed it and realized it didn't sound at all like Ms. Gronau, so they contacted her," said Suzanne Turner, public information officer for the school.

The page was created April 21 or 22 and was taken down Monday, within a few hours of being discovered.

"The account appears to have been deleted by the creators," Turner said, adding that police were not involved.

"People do all kinds of weird pranks. I don't think anyone has any animus towards her," Turner said. "It's someone's idea of a joke, is my supposition."

An email went out to staff and families at the school on Monday from the real Ms. Gronau, which said the photo used on the account was a publicly available picture from an August 2016 board of education announcement when Gronau was named principal.

Approximately 100 students followed the account in the time it was active.

Gronau asked parents to remind their children that creating false accounts is a violation of the South Orange and Maplewood School District's code of conduct.  

Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AllisonPries. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Churches see humanitarian need to protect 'illegals'

The mansion on South Fullerton Street in Montclair is the kind of grand home that was bestowed a name when it was built in 1906.

Red Gables is what it is called, because of the soaring Gothic roof lines, topped by a very Mediterranean terra cotta roof. It is the kind of place, in the early part of last century, that would have been maintained by immigrants -- Italian gardeners, Polish maids, and such.

The home is an important part of Montclair history. It was designed by artist Florence Rand Lang (of the Ingersoll-Rand fortune), who was the major benefactor of the Montclair Art Museum.

That's the early history. The modern history is that the mansion now houses Bnai Keshet, the Hebrew School of a Jewish Reconstructionist synagogue next door, which has owned the mansion since 1996.

Among the 280 families in the congregation are first-generation immigrants, including Holocaust survivors and other Jews who came from places not as welcoming as the United States.

In recent weeks, the top floor of the mansion was renovated by volunteers to create a one-bedroom apartment for those no longer welcomed in the United States: people facing deportation because of their immigration status.

As the debate about immigration rages on, it is important to remember our government's complicit role in allowing people deemed "illegal" to stay, flourish - and pay taxes.

The United States government continues to offer  "undocumented" people documentation -- tax identification numbers that enable them to pay taxes, own businesses and get mortgages.

Twelve states and Washington, D.C., allow them to get a driver's license, and New York and New Jersey seem headed in that direction, as well.

The point here is that we, as a nation, have sent mixed messages.

MORE: Recent Mark Di Ionno columns 

And for people such as "illegals" Oscar and Humberta Campos of Bridgeton, who were forced to leave their legally-owned home and their three American-born children under the threat of deportation last December, that just seems unfair. The Camposes, featured in a column here, in December, came to the U.S. 30 years ago. Oscar had a landscaping business with a legally registered truck and a driver's license obtained under old New Jersey laws.

Under President Barack Obama's administration, the government stepped up deportation of illegal immigrants, and the effort has been ratcheted up, in rhetoric especially, under Donald Trump.

Last October, several Montclair congregations got together to form the Montclair Sanctuary Alliance and create a safe place for a family or individual facing deportation.

"We stand for an America that welcomes people escaping poverty, conflict or human rights violations," said Elliott Tepperman, the rabbi at Bnai Keshet. "We had the space and we had the will, so we offered to build it here."

The people-power to get the place cleaned, sheet-rocked and painted, and install a new bathroom, came from the synagogue and several other houses of worship, including the First Congregation Church, Unitarian Universalist Congregation, St. Luke's Episcopal Church and Grace Presbyterian Church, all of Montclair, and the Ner Tamid Union Congregation in Bloomfield.

Once renovation work was done, donated furnishings came in - a microwave, toaster oven, chairs, and a new couch and bed. Rugs were installed and the place was ready for a tenant.

Tepperman said the churches also have put together teams to help with legal work and hospitality needs, such as shopping.

"We have about 100 people involved," he said.

The churches are working with several immigrant advocacy groups, including Faith in New Jersey in Camden, Make the Road in Elizabeth and Wind of the Spirit in Morristown, to find people under the threat of deportation or in need.

While no law prevents immigration officials from arresting people housed in church property, Tepperman said it is a line the government has not yet crossed.

"For decades, they (immigration enforcement) have had a policy of no arrests at schools, hospitals, courtrooms or houses of worship," Tepperman said. "So far, that seems to have held up."

Last week, as the finishing touches of the rooms were made, two Hebrew school students were putting sheets and comforters on the bed.

Alishsa Davis and Elliott Morley, both 12, were tightening and smoothing out the bed linens.

Elliott was born in Guatemala and adopted by Carole Schlitt of West Orange when he was 5 months old.

"He became an American citizen the minute we touched down," she said.  "For him, it was the luck of the draw. Many children don't have those opportunities and they should. Our immigration policies are real violations of the rights of children."

Elliott and other sixth graders at the school are working on a tikkun olam (Hebrew for 'repairing the world') project to support Florida's Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

Immokalee is a tomato-growing center. Many of the fast-food companies that buy the region's products entered an agreement to pay more per pound, so field workers can earn more and live in less squalid conditions. On Saturday at 2 p.m., the kids will march in front of a Wendy's in Bloomfield, to protest the chain's decision not to join the agreement.

"This is what we're trying to teach them," Schlitt said. "Social justice."

Likewise, Tepperman said, America's immigration goal should be to alleviate "human suffering and abuse."

"We figured out how to move commerce, information and capital across borders," he said. "Why can't we do that with people?" 

Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.

The events are free and open to county residents age 15 and younger.

Greg Hatala | The Star-Ledger 

ESSEX COUNTY -- The Essex County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs 2018 fishing derby season is underway and young anglers can drop their lines in the water at six locations in the coming weeks.

The locations and times of the events, which are free and open to county residents age 15 and younger, are:

* Grover Cleveland Park, Caldwell/Essex Fells, May 3. Registration 5 p.m., derby at 6 p.m., awards at 7:45 p.m.

* Verona Park Boathouse, Verona, May 17. Registration 5 p.m., derby at 6 p.m., awards at 7:45 p.m.

* Weequahic Park Lake, Newark, May 24. Registration 5 p.m., derby at 6 p.m., awards at 7:45 p.m.

* Irvington Park, Irvington, June 7. Registration 5 p.m., derby at 6 p.m., awards at 7:45 p.m.

* Monte Irvin Orange Park, Orange, June 9. Registration 8 a.m., derby at 9 a.m., awards at 11:15 a.m.

* South Mountain Recreation Complex, West Orange, June 14. Registration 5 p.m., derby at 6 p.m., awards at 7:45 p.m.

All children must be accompanied by an adult and bring his or her own fishing pole, bait, bucket and chair. Prizes in various age categories for "first fish" and "most fish" will be awarded. For more information, call 973-735-6228; in case of inclement weather, cancellations will be posted on essexcountynj.org.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.